


Seeds Unsown

by BarPurple



Series: Once Upon the Seas [6]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Black Eyed Suze, F/M, Past
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-26
Updated: 2017-10-26
Packaged: 2019-01-23 14:47:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,996
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12509812
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BarPurple/pseuds/BarPurple
Summary: Black Eyed Suze drops into Storybrooke a while after Killian and Emma's wedding, just in time to talk some sense into a certain pirate.





	Seeds Unsown

**Author's Note:**

> This is part of a fic I've had sitting around for ages, I've tweaked it to sort of fit in with season 7.

“Oh, it was a beautiful wedding, a real fairy tale.”

Snow was gushing about the dress and such as Suze smiled at the images on the little screen, photos she thought David had called them. Poppet and Princess’ wedding looked like a pretty occasion. It was hard for Suze to judge since the few weddings she had attended over the years had either been noted for their speed, or for the fact she was crashing them to kidnap someone.

“And no doubt soon we’ll be increasing our family.”

“Oh, are you expecting again Majesty?”

Snow batted Suze’s arm playfully; “Of course not, but now Killian and Emma are married it won’t be long before we’re grandparents again.”

Suze didn’t need to turn her head to see the tight lines around Poppet’s mouth. It surprised her that no one else noticed the storm clouds gather on his face. She took the chance to change the subject as Killian slipped out of the diner.

“So, what of young Master Mills, I’m told he is off adventuring?”

Suze excused herself from the party by claiming she wanted to smoke her pipe. It was a strange rule that one couldn’t light up indoors, but it was useful when you were tracking a moody pirate; not that she had to go far to find him.

Suze perched on the table next to Killian’s boots and took a slow draw on her pipe. He took another drink from his flask and tried to ignore her, but he could feel her strange eyes on him. He held out for a paltry four minutes before his rolled his head toward her and snapped; “What?”

Suze shrugged slowly and blew a cloud of smoke that took the form of a whale as it drifted away.

“Just wondering why all this talk of babes has put you in a pout, Poppet.”

He snorted at her and went back to ignoring her. Suze could silently outwait the tides of any realm you cared to mention. Poppet would talk a damn sight quicker than that, but she wanted to get back to the party. The measure of days woven in her hair rattled as she tilted her head to one side and got to the point; “I can’t help but wonder Poppet, how is that among this crew of fatherless children you’ve left in your wake over the years that there are none of your own get?”

Killian’s jaw clenched, his eyes darted away from her. Suze chuckled mirthlessly; “So there is a little Jones bastard out in the realms.”

He forced himself still, desperate not to reveal himself any further. With luck Suze would give up and let him along to drown his thoughts in rum. His old friend huffed in annoyance; “You do realize when you scratch at your ear like that it’s as good as a bloody confession.”

Killian lower his hook and cursed that damn thing for betraying him, he’d not been aware that he’d moved. Hell and damnation, Suze wasn’t going to let this go, may as well get it over and done with.

“I did once sire a child,” - Suze’s face was unmoving, but the silver waves rippled in her eyes, - “A few years after Milah’s death, I made port in White Scar. Y’know the place?”

It was a ridiculous question, Suze knew every port that had ever been, but it gave him time to get his swirling thoughts lined up and bless her Suze played along tapping her pipe as she pretended to mull over his question.

“Aye, a fjord port of the Northlands, I believe.”

Killian nodded and that was enough permission for the tale to pour from his lips.

“As you know back in the day White Scar was aiming to rival Tortuga as a haven for ne’er-do-wells of all kinds. I took the Jolly there because I’d heard tell of a man with a map,” - Killian gave Suze a one shouldered shrug, - “You know what I was after back then, and the lure of a great prize was worth the journey.”

Suze grinned at him, a touch of pride gleaming in her eyes; “You were after Fenrir’s Fur,” - The ever-present pirate of Tortuga dipped her head to him, - “Good form, Poppet.”

Killian gave a dry chuckle; “Aye, but you know I never found the damned hide. The man who held the map lived a long way inshore, which I believe is your fault.”

Suze waved a hand at him and flashed him a grin; “Tale for another time.”

Killian grinned, she’d tell him later, would trade her tale for his; but he was the storyteller in this moment, so he carried on; “I rode inland to find the man, and on the way there a storm hit,” - Killian paused, his eyes taking a distant cast as memory overtook him, - “That was how we met. She was walking the road in the pouring rain. Oh Suze, she had no fear when a strange man on horseback offered her a ride, because offer her a ride I did. How could I not? She was spectacular.”  
Killian trailed off, lost in the memory of dark fearless eyes. He cleared his throat and continued; “She didn’t offer her name and I didn’t ask. The storm grew worse and we had to stop for the night. There was only one room left and we shared,” - Killian fixed Suze with a hard glare, - “I offered to sleep on one of the benches in the bar, but she pulled me into the room with her.”

Suze threw him a gold toothed grin; “Ever the gentleman, Poppet.”

“She seduced me that night, Suze. No other I’d tell that would believe me, but I know you will, she was the instigator in our passion, and I couldn’t resist, I capitulated to her every whim.”

The fact that Black Eyed Suzanne bowed her head in understanding gave him strength to finish his shameful tale.

“Gods know I’d left women in the morn without a second thought, but for some reason I left her a bluebell on the pillow,” - Killian dragged in a deep sigh and spoke rapidly, - “Four years later I returned to White Scar, she’d not crossed my mind once in the years that past, but a wee kiddie ran in to me in the market, dived under the tails of my coat laughing at the game of it,” - Killian’s voice cracked and broke at this point, a better woman would have reached for his hand to offer reassurance, but Suze didn’t shift, comfort would distract him from his tale. Killian carried on softly, - “I pulled her out from under my coat and, and she had my eyes Suze. I looked to find her mother and I found the woman who I’d shared that night with staring at me with fear and horror.”

Killian swallowed the heavy sweetness of rum, trying to wet his dry throat.

“The child’s father took her and scurried away. I was left to talk with the mother. The mother of my child,” - Killian laughed, but there was no joy in the sound that escaped him, - “She dragged me to the nearest tavern and explained that her husband, her True Love, had been cursed by a witch so his seed was unfruitful. She hadn’t intended to use me as a stud that night, but she’d seen an opportunity and took it. Her gamble paid off, my seed quickened in her womb. She begged me not to claim the child as my own, begged me to walk away so her and her husband could have the happy ending that the witch had tried to deny them. I couldn’t refuse her. I left a king’s ransom in jewels and sailed away. Never went back to White Scar.”

Suze chewed at her lip while she considered Poppet’s tale. It was unconventional to be sure, but there were worse ways for a child to start in the world; his bastard had been claimed by a family desperate for a child, she’d probably never known that she wasn’t the true get of the man she called father. So why was Killian beating himself up about this? She huffed on her pipe and dug a little further.

“See for a man such as you, who is greedy for the pleasures of the flesh to have spawned one bastard in a life time is unsurprising. That you’ve not planted a whole bloody crop in your many life times in nigh on impossible.”

Her words caused him to wince and Suze had a sudden inkling as to why. She leant forward and gripped his chin in her hand. He let her twist his head up, but still tried to avoid her eyes. She closed the distance between them until he couldn’t look anywhere but at her.

“Tell me what madness you’ve got yourself into this time, Poppet.”

Killian jerked his chin free of her grip and laughed, cold and hard, the sound chilled the borrowed heart within Suze’s chest.

“I tracked down the witch. I provoked her until she cast the same curse on me. And then I slit her throat.”

Suze threaded her fingers together until her knuckles cracked.

“You deliberately got yourself cursed. Well, that explains the lack of bastards. The curse didn’t end with the witch’s death?”

It was pitched as a question, but both parties knew that it was nothing of the sort.

“No. I made sure of that before my blade tasted her blood.”

Suze shook her head, this was why Poppet had been so upset by his mother-in-law’s talk of grandchildren. She looked up and found the man glaring at her; he was waiting for her censure, some insult, or order to tell Swan she’d never be a mother by him. Idiot.

“Guess this makes it official. You are a hero, Poppet,” - Suze held up a hand to halt whatever nonsense he was about to shout at her, he hadn’t understood her words, - “All heroes forget the basic rules of magic.”

Killian frowned at her. Suze rolled her black eyes at him and spoke slowly.

“True Love breaks any curse.”

His frown deepened as Suze stood up and rolled her shoulders. There was a hint of disbelieving realisation dawning on his face that made Suze grin.

“I’d be honoured if you two were to consider Suzanne as a name for your soon to arrive cygnet.”

Killian’s eyes were as wide as saucers as he stumbled to his feet.

“Emma… she’s… we’re having a… I need to…”

As Killian rushed back into the diner Suze threw back her head and laughed. In all her years she’d never once met a man who didn’t turn in to a jabbering fool when he was told of his impending fatherhood. Suze drew deeply on her pipe and willed the smoke to show her the future. The cloud of smoke soon swirling around her head offered her glimpses of a happy family, but the next exhale brought something new. Suze frowned and looked hard at the smoky outlines of Poppet without Swan, Poppet with a girl child who he would lose, not to death, but a curse that would rend the realms once more. She focused on this and slowly understood that this was one of the others, one of the Killian Jones from the other stories where history took a different course. She watched for as long as the smoke offered her images and extinguished her pipe with a muttered curse when no more was revealed.

“Bloody Authors. Can’t let a happy ending be.”

She tucked her pipe away and headed back into Granny’s. There was something brewing, and she wasn’t yet sure if she had a part in it, but for now there was celebrating to be done. As she stepped inside she shuddered at the memory of what look suspiciously like a lawman’s shield. Killian Jones as a copper? Oh, that would be a sight to see.


End file.
